Chemical in bread, soybean may reverse breast cancer therapy

WASHINGTON, Jan 15:
Oestrogen-mimicking compounds found in breads, soybean and a range of commonly consumed grains can reverse the effects of ‘breakthrough’ drug therapy used to treat breast cancer, scientists have found. The study, published in the journal Cell Chemical Biology, suggests that exposure to chemical compounds called xenoestrogens may significantly reduce the effectiveness of anti-oestrogen treatments for cancer.
“Breast cancer patients taking palbociclib/letrozole should consider limiting their exposure to foods that contain xenoestrogens,” said Gary Siuzdak, from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in the US. The palbociclib/letrozole combination therapy was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2015 after a clinical trial showed it doubled the progression-free survival time in postmenopausal women with oestrogen receptor (ER) positive, metastatic breast cancer.
Letrozole blocks the production of oestrogen, thus reducing the growth-promoting stimulation of ERs on breast cancer cells.
Palbociclib blocks a different signalling pathway to impede cell division. The combination is now one of the standard therapies for ER-positive breast cancers. Researchers used advanced metabolomics technology to analyse the effects of palbociclib/letrozole on breast cancer cells. Metabolomics studies detail cells’ metabolomes— populations of metabolites, the small-molecule end products of cellular processes. (PTI)

Follow our WhatsApp channel